A couple of take-aways:
In 2021, 157 sailors illegally fled the U.S. Navy, more than double the number who deserted in 2019. Although all but eight of them eventually returned to their units, a military legal expert says the dramatic increase in desertions may be a sign of a bigger issue.
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This was 2021. What is different between 2021 and 2019 (the time period in which the comparison was made)? Covid lockdowns. It doesn’t surprise me that those in the service might be climbing the walls to escape a little bit more than normal in light of the lockdowns we experienced in 2020 and 2021.
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AWOL vs desertion. The article does not state - and journalists are notoriously sloppy on these points, but a soldier is deemed AWOL (absent without leave) for 30 days until they are deemed to have deserted - but people (both in and out of the military) often lump all unauthorized leave into the same bucket and call it desertion - even in cases where the soldier simply didn’t report for duty for two days (often due to a bad weekend binger)
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We have likely all heard of the poor mental health kids have experienced during covid. It is fair to assume that our young military are not immune to the same experiences. The military has never been kind to those that have mental health issues.
My guess is that these numbers will normalize in 2023.
Hawkwin
Who wonders what the army/marine numbers look like.